An Phone® may take a lovely panoramic image that is adequate for a vacationer. The vacationer may stand in a single location and pan their camera slowly through an arc to acquire a panoramic image on a single plane while the camera maintains a single focal length. The smartphone may be practical as a standalone device but may not integrate well, if at all, with other devices while at the vacation spot. While the panoramic image may be suitable for recalling a vacation moment, the panoramic image is unsuitable for security or military related applications where potentially life and death decisions may need to be made in real-time. Additionally, standing in an exposed position and holding a camera steady while slowly panning it through an arc may be unwise in certain tactical situations.
A panoramic imaging system may acquire multiple images (e.g., digital photographs) that when processed into a single image provide a larger field of view than is available in a single image. For example, a panoramic imaging system may acquire multiple images that when processed together provide a three hundred and sixty degree view of an area around the imaging system. Conventionally there have been different approaches for acquiring the multiple images that are processed together into a single image that has a larger field of view. One conventional approach to panoramic imaging includes acquiring images from several image acquisition apparatus (e.g., cameras) that are pointed in different directions. Another conventional approach to panoramic imaging includes moving a single image acquisition apparatus to different positions. While conventional panoramic imaging approaches have provided some form of panoramic views, these views have typically been unsuitable for certain applications (e.g., military, police, prison, security) where real-time decisions need to be made based on surveillance imagery.
Some conventional panoramic imaging systems may employ a linear array image sensor that acquires just a thin narrow line of image data. This thin narrow line of image data may not have vertical warping effects for which correction is required when stitching together a single line of data. Some linear array image sensor based systems may use a fisheye lens that produces distortions in an image. The distortions may be corrected in software. However, these linear array fisheye systems may have limited range, resolution, and magnification. Some conventional panoramic imaging systems may acquire image data for a scene having a single depth of field and may acquire data using a single zoom level. Conventional panoramic imaging systems may acquire data using a single field of view (FOV). Conventional systems that produce single mode images (e.g., visible light only, infrared (IR) only) with a narrow line of image data using a single zoom do not face the same issues as more complicated systems.